BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace will tour the county's circuit court facilities Thursday as they begin work on replacing or renovating the 1920s-era courthouse building.
The Committee of the Whole met briefly Tuesday night, disposing of the two items on its agenda in about 20 minutes. The justices of the peace approved the first of what will be several "cleanup" ordinances transferring money within the 2014 budget.
"This is not unusual, in fact it's routine," Kurt Moore, justice of the peace for District 13 and committee chairman, said of the cleanup ordinance. The panel voted unanimously to send the ordinance on to the full Quorum Court.
The committee also voted to spend $25,611 to replace a vehicle for the Benton County Sheriff's Office. A 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe was totaled in an automobile accident and insurance money will be used to buy a replacement vehicle. That ordinance also was sent on to the Quorum Court.
After disposing of the agenda items the justices of the peace discussed upcoming meetings, including the Jan. 15 tour of the county courthouse and circuit court space in nearby buildings. The committee will meet at 6 p.m. in the Quorum Courtroom before beginning the tour in Circuit Judge Brad Karren's courtroom and offices. The tour will then go through the courtrooms and offices in the old County Courthouse before wrapping up in Circuit Judge Doug Schrantz's courtroom for a PowerPoint presentation showing the justices of the peace scenes of the daily activity in the courtrooms, offices and other areas.
Moore asked County Judge Bob Clinard about having the group the courthouse individually or in small groups during normal business hours. Clinard said he would arrange tours if the justices of the peace were interested or individual justices of the peace could go on their own.
"It's really eye-opening to be there while they're having court," Clinard said.
"It's a real zoo," Moore said. "I've been there for a jury 'cattle-call' and it's crazy."
Susan Anglin of District 9, also told the committee members the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission is hosting a pair of Open Space Plan Workshops next week. The first workshop is set for 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Fayetteville Public Library and the second is set for 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Bentonville Public Library. Anglin said the workshops are part of a program to develop a plan to preserve natural landscapes and open spaces in Northwest Arkansas.The workshops will allow regional planners to seek public input.
NW News on 01/14/2015